Concordia Journal COncordia Summer 2009 ournal | J volume 35 number 3 Summer 2009 volume 35 | number How Many Seminaries? The Stars and the Stripes John Calvin’s Five Hundredth Birthday 3 Reaching Out Without Losing Balance Self-Righteousness Through Popular Science COncordia Journal (ISSN 0145-7233) publisher Faculty Dale A. Meyer David Adams Erik Herrmann Paul Robinson President Charles Arand Jeffrey Kloha Robert Rosin Executive EDITOR Andrew Bacon Robert Kolb Henry Rowold Andrew Bartelt Reed Lessing Timothy Saleska William W. Schumacher David Berger David Lewis Leopoldo Sánchez M. Dean of Theological Joel Biermann Thomas Manteufel David Schmitt Research and Publication Gerhard Bode Richard Marrs Bruce Schuchard EDITOR James Brauer David Maxwell William Schumacher Travis J. Scholl Kent Burreson Dale Meyer William Utech Managing Editor of William Carr, Jr. Glenn Nielsen James Voelz Theological Publications Anthony Cook Joel Okamoto Robert Weise EDITORial assistant Timothy Dost Jeffrey Oschwald Quentin Melanie Appelbaum Thomas Egger David Peter Wesselschmidt assistants Jeffrey Gibbs Paul Raabe David Wollenburg Christopher Born Bruce Hartung Victor Raj Carol Geisler Theodore Luebkeman James Prothro All correspondence should be sent to: Rev. Travis Scholl CONCORDIA JOURNAL 801 Seminary Place St. Louis, Missouri 63105 [email protected] Issued by the faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, the Concordia Journal is the successor of Lehre und Wehre (1855-1929), begun by C. F. W. Walther, a founder of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Lehre und Wehre was absorbed by the Concordia Theological Monthly (1930-1972) which was also pub- lished by the faculty of Concordia Seminary as the official theological periodical of the Synod. The Concordia Journal is abstracted in Internationale Zeitschriftenschau für Bibelwissenschaft unde Grenzgebiete, New Testament Abstracts.Old Testament Abstracts, and Religious and Theological Abstracts. It is indexed in Repertoire Bibliographique des Institutions Chretiennes and Religion Index One: Periodicals. Article and issue photocopies in 16mm microfilm, 35mm microfilm, and 105mm microfiche are available from University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346. Books submitted for review should be sent to the editor. Manuscripts submitted for publication should conform to a standard manual of style. They will be returned to authors only when accompanied by self- addressed stamped envelopes. The Concordia Journal (ISSN 0145-7233) is published quarterly (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall). The annual subscription rate is $15 U.S.A., $20 for Canada and $25 for foreign countries. Periodicals postage paid at St. Louis, MO and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Concordia Journal, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105-3199 Cover art: “After Resurrection” by Dr. He Qi (www.heqigallery.com) © Copyright by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri 2009 www.csl.edu COncordia Journal CONTENTS EDITORIALs 225 Editor’s Note 227 How Many Seminaries? Dale A. Meyer 233 The Stars and the Stripes Victor Raj 236 John Calvin’s Five Hundredth Birthday Robert Kolb 239 Encomia for Six Teachers of the Faith ARTICLES 251 Reaching Out Without Losing Balance: Maintaining a Theological Center of Gravity in Preaching David J. Peter 279 Self-Righteousness Through Popular Science: Our Culture’s Romance with Naturalism James V. Bachman 293 HOMILETICAL HELPS on LSB Series B—Gospels 327 BOOK REVIEWS Summer 2009 volume 35 | number 3 editoRIALS COncordia Journal Editor’s Note After Resurrection Times and seasons. Much of what you will find in these pages is sensitive to this time and this season. And considering that we are in the ordinary liturgical time “after resurrection,” He Qi’s artwork above seems to capture both the exhilaration and the vigilance of these days. Times and seasons. President Dale Meyer continues to give his reflections on what this time and this season mean for theological education and the church. Victor Raj speaks to this patriotic season with reflections on his journey to becom- ing a citizen of the United States. What you find here is just a preview: a fuller ver- Concordia Journal/Summer 2009 225 sion of Dr. Raj’s essay can be found at www.ConcordiaTheology.org. And Robert Kolb speaks to this month’s 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth in an editorial that could alternatively be titled “Why Lutherans Should Care about Calvin.” In academic communities, this is often a time of retirement and reflection, and Concordia Seminary is no different. Thus, we have also published here the encomia that were presented to six distinguished retiring faculty, knowing that many of you had one, some, or all of these professors as your own teachers in the faith. Times and seasons. Summer is a good time for preachers to hone their craft. David Peter addresses the “horizontal and vertical dimensions” of the preacher’s craft, and how to keep balance as preachers walk both of those fine lines. And, of course, the Homiletical Helps continue to explore the Gospel of Mark (with inter- jections here and there from the other gospels) in this season of Pentecost. But summer is also a good time to prepare for what’s ahead. Concordia University, Irvine, Professor James Bachman’s work on science and religion, and in particular the misunderstanding of science in popular culture, serves as an excellent entry into the issues of a fast-approaching season, Concordia Seminary’s 20th Annual Theological Symposium, “Science and Theology: New Questions, New Conversations” (September 22–23). Times and seasons. Allow me to reflect upon a season of my past. This issue of Concordia Journal features a review of Francis “Rev” Rossow’s Gospel Patterns in Literature by Pepperdine University Professor Paul Contino. I sat in the classrooms of both Dr. Contino and Dr. Bachman during my undergraduate days at Valparaiso University. Professor Contino introduced me to the profundities of Fyodor Dostoevsky with deep insight and the care of a mentor. Professor Bachman intro- duced me to “ancient and medieval philosophy”—Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas—with an erudition that is second to none. Working with them in the here and now has been a sheer joy. Of course, these times have brought upon Concordia Seminary, the church, and this world changes that have been difficult. So, like any other time or season, we cling ever so closely to the promises of God: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” (Daniel 2:20–22) Travis J. Scholl Managing Editor of Theological Publications 226 How Many Seminaries? “I hesitate to bring this up,” said a friend from Idaho, “but do we need two seminaries?” What he almost whispered in secret is now, well, if not shouted from the housetops at least published throughout the church. Thanks to Paul Robert Sauer for his article “The Best of Times, the Worst of Times for the LCMS Seminaries” in the Summer 2009 issue of Lutheran Forum. He wrote, “It may be time to close one of the seminaries of the LCMS.” Less noticed throughout the church but a real conversation starter on both seminary campuses was the follow- ing: The board [of directors of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod] also took an action, in the interest of cost reductions, achievement of savings, and improvement of quality, to request the Board for Pastoral Education to make “a comprehensive study of the facilities, person- nel, and efficiencies of present seminary education,” also requesting a final report at the earliest possible date (Reporter, “Board Briefs,” July, 2009, p. 2). In this editorial I will suggest that clarity about three words is critical to answering the question, “How many seminaries?” The first word is “synod.” What does that mean? Is it the building at 1333 South Kirkwood, the administrators who work there, the Board of Directors? Is it the Concordia Plans, the LCMS Foundation, or the Lutheran Church Extension Fund? Does conventional usage lump all those entities located in St. Louis together as “synod” in contrast to districts, circuits, congregations, auxiliaries and RSOs? Or when we say “synod” do we think of only those who are technically members? Membership in the Synod is held and may be acquired by congregations, ministers of religion… and a list of rostered workers, but not laypeople, who belong to LCMS congrega- tions (Handbook, Constitution, Article V). Is “synod” our church assembled in con- vention? Or does “synod” mean all 2.4 million people who are baptized members of this denomination? The word is not clearly used and the devil is in the details. Years ago I was privileged to serve as a vice president of the Southern Illinois District. At that time our district was remitting over 50% of our receipts from SID congregations on to the national office. In one board meeting we received an official from St. Louis who urged us to increase our remittance to “synod.” Those were days when we were still recovering from the Seminex event and talk about “walking together” was common. Young and brash, I asked the visit- ing official, “If we’re all walking together as ‘synod,’ why can’t we cut our remit- tance to the national office and use it locally? After all, aren’t we the ‘synod’ in this place?” The question was not well received. Decades later the slippery definition of “synod” is still confusing our life together. So, does “synod” support its seminaries? Yes and no. If the word refers to “corporate synod” and the subsidy given by the Board of Directors to St. Louis and Fort Wayne, the answer is closer to “no” than “yes.” In the new fiscal year Concordia, St.